New Alternate Item Creation Feat Feedback wanted [Archive] - Wizards Community

New Alternate Item Creation Feat Feedback wanted [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Stryfe_Raven
02-27-07, 10:11 PM This feat is designed to replace Craft Wand and Staff as well to a lesser extent Wonderous item and Ring.

CONSTRUCT ARCANE BATTERIES [ ITEM CREATION ]
You have mastered the greatest secret of the magical craftsman; you can harness raw magical energy and condense it into a physical object, a tiny lodestone which can power magical devices creating a power source more potent than anything imagined.

Prerequisites: Spellcaster level 5th

Benefit: A spellcaster with this feat can create magical batteries; almost microscopic gems which glow with arcane energy, that can be used to power spells in and of themselves or be used to fuel more powerful magical artifacts. Using only this feat, a spell caster can create charged magical items, such as wands, which draw their power from a finite supply of magic. Some different uses for this feat are listed below.

Craft Charged Items:
Select any spell that you can normally cast; you can create a charged item (usually a wands, or similar device, though more unusual charged items are possible) using that spell as a base. Once the charged item is created, anyone who has been instructed in its operation may use it. Thus, a mage could create a wand which fires magic missiles and hand it over to a conventional soldier, increasing that soldier’s firepower. Each time the item is triggered, or the device is otherwise activated, one or more of the items charges are drained based on the level of the spell the item is storing. A arcane batteries that stores a 0, 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th level spell uses one charge, a 5th, 6th, or 7th level spell costs 2 charges and a 8th or 9th level spell costs 3 charges. When all the item’s charges are drained, it ceases to function, but can be recharged by any spellcaster with this feat.
Successfully creating a housing for the device requires an appropriate craft check (Craft: Sculpture to create a wand, )or the mage can acquire a finished masterwork item to enchant. Crafting a charged item takes one day for every 1000gp in the items base purchase price. When the spellcaster first creates the item, she chooses the items caster level, which must always be sufficient to cast the spell in question. To craft a charged item, she must spend ½ the base price on raw materials and magical reagents, and imbue the item with a portion of her soul, expending a number of XP equal to 1/25th the base price.
To determine the base price of a charged item, multiply the caster level by the spell level (s) (minimum 1st level, even if the component spell is 0 level) and than multiply the result by 900 gp for the highest level spell, for each additional spell the item stores multiply the caster level by the spell level (minimum 1st level, even if the component spell is 0 level) and than multiply the result by 450 gp. Any Arcane battery that stores a spell or spells with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the cost derived from the base price, you must expend one hundred copies of the material component or pay one hundred times the XP cost. A newly created charged item has 50 charges

Recharging Charged Items:
Any spellcaster (even one from a different class than originally created the item) may recharge a spent charged item. The charged item must be completely drained before it can be recharged. To recharge a spent item, the spellcaster must possess this feat, and must touch the item while funneling his personal energies into it. For every 4 spell levels expended in this way allows the charged item to regain a single charge. Thus, if a wizard or cleric chose to sacrifice a 9th level prepared spell and a 3rd level prepared spell, the charged item in his hands would recover 3 charges. A sorcerer choosing to sacrifice three 3rd level spell slots and three 1st level spell slots would achieve the same result. A spell caster may sacrifice as much mystical energy in a single charging session as he or she is comfortable with losing.
Charging a magical item requires 10 rounds of unbroken concentration per each charge recovered. Mages who attempt to charge items during the heat of battle must make concentration checks as if they were casting magic under fire, or lose the spell/slot without effect. At the game master’s discretion, the charged item might undergo minor cosmetic changes reflecting the personality of the magic user who recharged it, though its function and personality (if any) remain unchanged.
Cyanide300
03-01-07, 01:29 PM I would at least require caster level 5 if you're going to allow multi-charged items like wands. CL3 would be ok for single use items.

Do you really want your 3rd level mage to be able to supply all the melee combat characters with MW weapons that also fire a 4d6 scorching ray (1800gp)? Or worse yet, 50 charges of True Strike (900gp). Cause I didn't see any restrictions on what this battery could be placed in. If you're going to allow these items to be used by anyone, you should make the requirements very stiff.
Stryfe_Raven
03-02-07, 10:33 PM I would at least require caster level 5 if you're going to allow multicharged items like wands. CL3 would be ok for single use items.

Do you really want your 3rd level mage to be able to supply all the melee combat characters with MW weapons that also fire a 4d6 scorching ray (1800gp)? Or worse yet, 50 charges of True Strike (900gp). Cause I didn't see any restrictions on what this battery could be placed in. If you're going to allow these items to be used by anyone, you should make the requirements very stiff.

I took your advice and raised the Spellcaster level to 5th, although with Craft Wondrous item (3rd level feat) a mage could craft do what you purpose for the same price as I based the pricing off a 50 charge command word item. The question I would ask is would you allow a charged Item of True Strike ?
My main question is with the ability to recharge the item is it balanced, and does the feat fill the purpose I envision of replacing the charged items feats ?

Here is another feat to also consider.

FORGE ARCANE ARMORY [ ITEM CREATION ]
Prerequisites: Construct Arcane Batteries,
Spellcaster level 5th
Benefit: You can create any magic weapon, armor, shield or jewry whose prerequisites you meet. Enhancing a weapon, suit of armor, or shield takes one day for each 1,000 gp in the price of its magical features. To enhance a weapon, suit of armor, or shield, you must spend 1/25 of its features’ total price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this total price.
Creators use this feat to grant enhancement bonuses to
weapons, shields, and armor. Weapon enhancement bonuses add
to attack and damage rolls, while shield and armor enhancement
bonuses add to Armor Class. The character also can add special abilities to a weapon, shield, or harness of armor, most of which have a “bonus equivalent” for determining price. For example, the keen special ability has the equivalent of a +1 bonus. To give a weapon, shield, or armor harness a special ability, the Item does not also have at least a +1 enhancement bonus.
To create a magic weapon, shield, or armor harness, the creator must have a caster level at least three times the enhancement bonus given to the item. Thus, to create a +3 long spear, the creator’s caster level must be at least 9th. This is true of special abilities with bonus equivalents as well. So, to give a shield the
Wild special ability, which is the equivalent of a +3
bonus the creator must be at least 9th level.
The character also can mend a broken magic weapon, suit of
armor, or shield, if it is one that she could craft. Mending costs
half the item’s XP Cost, uses half its raw materials, and requires
half the time it would take to enhance the item in the first place.The weapon, armor, or shield to be enhanced must be a masterwork item the character provides. (Its cost is not included in the above cost.)
Cyanide300
03-07-07, 12:07 PM I took your advice and raised the Spellcaster level to 5th, although with Craft Wondrous item (3rd level feat) a mage could craft do what you purpose for the same price as I based the pricing off a 50 charge command word item. The question I would ask is would you allow a charged Item of True Strike ?
My main question is with the ability to recharge the item is it balanced, and does the feat fill the purpose I envision of replacing the charged items feats ?

Well I don't see any problem with a charged item of True Strike under normal conditions. Typically the charged item would be a wand, which is a spell-trigger item. Spell-trigger items are normally only useable by characters who have those spells on their own spell list. Your feat breaks that rule by allowing anybody to use these charged items. That alone is a gigantic leap in the power of these items. Increased versatility means increased power.

In addition to that, the price calculations on charged items in d20 are based on the idea that you can't recharge them. If you want more charges you basicly just have to make a new item. If you start allowing charged items to be recharged for less than the cost of just making another wand, then you have to rethink the pricing of all charged items because they're not longer strickly limited use.

Also, I'm not sure you've fully considered the amount of charges a spell caster could recharge in 1 day of down time, with no cost. A lvl10 sorcerer with no bonus spells has 71 spell levels available per day. Given that he'll probably have some bonus spells, that's close to 20 charges per day for free. If you ever give your PCs a day to rest and gather gear for an adventure, they'll be able to make a single charged item last indefinately. On top of that, it's not just the sorcerer or wizard using the charged item now. Now your casters are turning your other characters into casters too.

To me the biggest problem with the feat is the ability for anybody to use these items. You're inviting players to run around in full plate casting arcane spells virtually at will. Obviously, arcane magic in the hands of a well armored character is too powerful. That's part of the reason wands and staffs can't be used by just anyone, there are no wondrous items in the DMG that allow rampant use of high damage arcane spells, and getting a reduction in spell failure chance always carries a very heavy price.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Stryfe_Raven 02-27-07, 10:11 PM	This feat is designed to replace Craft Wand and Staff as well to a lesser extent Wonderous item and Ring. CONSTRUCT ARCANE BATTERIES [ ITEM CREATION ] You have mastered the greatest secret of the magical craftsman; you can harness raw magical energy and condense it into a physical object, a tiny lodestone which can power magical devices creating a power source more potent than anything imagined. Prerequisites: Spellcaster level 5th Benefit: A spellcaster with this feat can create magical batteries; almost microscopic gems which glow with arcane energy, that can be used to power spells in and of themselves or be used to fuel more powerful magical artifacts. Using only this feat, a spell caster can create charged magical items, such as wands, which draw their power from a finite supply of magic. Some different uses for this feat are listed below. Craft Charged Items: Select any spell that you can normally cast; you can create a charged item (usually a wands, or similar device, though more unusual charged items are possible) using that spell as a base. Once the charged item is created, anyone who has been instructed in its operation may use it. Thus, a mage could create a wand which fires magic missiles and hand it over to a conventional soldier, increasing that soldier’s firepower. Each time the item is triggered, or the device is otherwise activated, one or more of the items charges are drained based on the level of the spell the item is storing. A arcane batteries that stores a 0, 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th level spell uses one charge, a 5th, 6th, or 7th level spell costs 2 charges and a 8th or 9th level spell costs 3 charges. When all the item’s charges are drained, it ceases to function, but can be recharged by any spellcaster with this feat. Successfully creating a housing for the device requires an appropriate craft check (Craft: Sculpture to create a wand, )or the mage can acquire a finished masterwork item to enchant. Crafting a charged item takes one day for every 1000gp in the items base purchase price. When the spellcaster first creates the item, she chooses the items caster level, which must always be sufficient to cast the spell in question. To craft a charged item, she must spend ½ the base price on raw materials and magical reagents, and imbue the item with a portion of her soul, expending a number of XP equal to 1/25th the base price. To determine the base price of a charged item, multiply the caster level by the spell level (s) (minimum 1st level, even if the component spell is 0 level) and than multiply the result by 900 gp for the highest level spell, for each additional spell the item stores multiply the caster level by the spell level (minimum 1st level, even if the component spell is 0 level) and than multiply the result by 450 gp. Any Arcane battery that stores a spell or spells with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the cost derived from the base price, you must expend one hundred copies of the material component or pay one hundred times the XP cost. A newly created charged item has 50 charges Recharging Charged Items: Any spellcaster (even one from a different class than originally created the item) may recharge a spent charged item. The charged item must be completely drained before it can be recharged. To recharge a spent item, the spellcaster must possess this feat, and must touch the item while funneling his personal energies into it. For every 4 spell levels expended in this way allows the charged item to regain a single charge. Thus, if a wizard or cleric chose to sacrifice a 9th level prepared spell and a 3rd level prepared spell, the charged item in his hands would recover 3 charges. A sorcerer choosing to sacrifice three 3rd level spell slots and three 1st level spell slots would achieve the same result. A spell caster may sacrifice as much mystical energy in a single charging session as he or she is comfortable with losing. Charging a magical item requires 10 rounds of unbroken concentration per each charge recovered. Mages who attempt to charge items during the heat of battle must make concentration checks as if they were casting magic under fire, or lose the spell/slot without effect. At the game master’s discretion, the charged item might undergo minor cosmetic changes reflecting the personality of the magic user who recharged it, though its function and personality (if any) remain unchanged.
Cyanide300 03-01-07, 01:29 PM	I would at least require caster level 5 if you're going to allow multi-charged items like wands. CL3 would be ok for single use items. Do you really want your 3rd level mage to be able to supply all the melee combat characters with MW weapons that also fire a 4d6 scorching ray (1800gp)? Or worse yet, 50 charges of True Strike (900gp). Cause I didn't see any restrictions on what this battery could be placed in. If you're going to allow these items to be used by anyone, you should make the requirements very stiff.
Stryfe_Raven 03-02-07, 10:33 PM	I would at least require caster level 5 if you're going to allow multicharged items like wands. CL3 would be ok for single use items. Do you really want your 3rd level mage to be able to supply all the melee combat characters with MW weapons that also fire a 4d6 scorching ray (1800gp)? Or worse yet, 50 charges of True Strike (900gp). Cause I didn't see any restrictions on what this battery could be placed in. If you're going to allow these items to be used by anyone, you should make the requirements very stiff. I took your advice and raised the Spellcaster level to 5th, although with Craft Wondrous item (3rd level feat) a mage could craft do what you purpose for the same price as I based the pricing off a 50 charge command word item. The question I would ask is would you allow a charged Item of True Strike ? My main question is with the ability to recharge the item is it balanced, and does the feat fill the purpose I envision of replacing the charged items feats ? Here is another feat to also consider. FORGE ARCANE ARMORY [ ITEM CREATION ] Prerequisites: Construct Arcane Batteries, Spellcaster level 5th Benefit: You can create any magic weapon, armor, shield or jewry whose prerequisites you meet. Enhancing a weapon, suit of armor, or shield takes one day for each 1,000 gp in the price of its magical features. To enhance a weapon, suit of armor, or shield, you must spend 1/25 of its features’ total price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this total price. Creators use this feat to grant enhancement bonuses to weapons, shields, and armor. Weapon enhancement bonuses add to attack and damage rolls, while shield and armor enhancement bonuses add to Armor Class. The character also can add special abilities to a weapon, shield, or harness of armor, most of which have a “bonus equivalent” for determining price. For example, the keen special ability has the equivalent of a +1 bonus. To give a weapon, shield, or armor harness a special ability, the Item does not also have at least a +1 enhancement bonus. To create a magic weapon, shield, or armor harness, the creator must have a caster level at least three times the enhancement bonus given to the item. Thus, to create a +3 long spear, the creator’s caster level must be at least 9th. This is true of special abilities with bonus equivalents as well. So, to give a shield the Wild special ability, which is the equivalent of a +3 bonus the creator must be at least 9th level. The character also can mend a broken magic weapon, suit of armor, or shield, if it is one that she could craft. Mending costs half the item’s XP Cost, uses half its raw materials, and requires half the time it would take to enhance the item in the first place.The weapon, armor, or shield to be enhanced must be a masterwork item the character provides. (Its cost is not included in the above cost.)
Cyanide300 03-07-07, 12:07 PM	I took your advice and raised the Spellcaster level to 5th, although with Craft Wondrous item (3rd level feat) a mage could craft do what you purpose for the same price as I based the pricing off a 50 charge command word item. The question I would ask is would you allow a charged Item of True Strike ? My main question is with the ability to recharge the item is it balanced, and does the feat fill the purpose I envision of replacing the charged items feats ? Well I don't see any problem with a charged item of True Strike under normal conditions. Typically the charged item would be a wand, which is a spell-trigger item. Spell-trigger items are normally only useable by characters who have those spells on their own spell list. Your feat breaks that rule by allowing anybody to use these charged items. That alone is a gigantic leap in the power of these items. Increased versatility means increased power. In addition to that, the price calculations on charged items in d20 are based on the idea that you can't recharge them. If you want more charges you basicly just have to make a new item. If you start allowing charged items to be recharged for less than the cost of just making another wand, then you have to rethink the pricing of all charged items because they're not longer strickly limited use. Also, I'm not sure you've fully considered the amount of charges a spell caster could recharge in 1 day of down time, with no cost. A lvl10 sorcerer with no bonus spells has 71 spell levels available per day. Given that he'll probably have some bonus spells, that's close to 20 charges per day for free. If you ever give your PCs a day to rest and gather gear for an adventure, they'll be able to make a single charged item last indefinately. On top of that, it's not just the sorcerer or wizard using the charged item now. Now your casters are turning your other characters into casters too. To me the biggest problem with the feat is the ability for anybody to use these items. You're inviting players to run around in full plate casting arcane spells virtually at will. Obviously, arcane magic in the hands of a well armored character is too powerful. That's part of the reason wands and staffs can't be used by just anyone, there are no wondrous items in the DMG that allow rampant use of high damage arcane spells, and getting a reduction in spell failure chance always carries a very heavy price.